Lecture –7

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lecture –7

Quality Control

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Topics Covered:

 

·         Meaning of Quality & Quality Control

·         Meaning of Total Quality Management (TQM)

·         The Dimensions of Quality

·         The Consequences of Poor Quality

·         The Costs of Quality

·         Functions/Necessity/Objectives of Quality Control

·         Model Questions

 

 

 

MEANING OF QUALITY & QUALITY CONTROL

 

Quality refers to the ability of a product or service to constantly meet or exceed customer expectations. It is a predictable degree of uniformity and dependability at low cost and suited to the market.

Quality Control is a systematic and scientific system involving the application of all known industrial and statistical techniques to control the quality of the manufactured goods. It is the systematic control of those variables encountered in a manufacturing process which affect the excellence of the product.

 

 

MEANING OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM)

 

Total Quality Management has been coined to describe a philosophy that makes quality values the driving force behind leadership, design, planning and improvement initiatives. The belief is that for long term financial success, quality is essential. In short, Total Quality Management is a philosophy that stresses three principles:

a.   Customer satisfaction

b.   Employee involvement

c.   Continuous improvement in quality

 

a.   Customer Satisfaction: The product should meet or exceed the expectations of customers.

b. Employee involvement: A complete program in employee involvement includes changing organizational culture, encouraging teamwork, fostering individual development through training and establishing awards and incentives.

c. Continuous improvement in quality: The philosophy of continual improvement of machinery , materials, labour utilization and production methods through application of suggestions and ideas of team members- based on a Japanese concept called keizen.

 

THE DIMENSIONS OF QUALITY

 

From a customer perspective, quality does not pertain to a single aspect of a product or service, but to a number of different dimensions of the product or services:

b.   Performance: Main characteristics of the product or service.

c.   Aesthetes: appearance, feel, smell, taste.

d.   Special features: Extra characteristics.

e.   Conformance: How well a product or service corresponds to the customers expectations.

f.     Safety: Risk of injury or harm.

g.   Reliability: Consistency of performance.

h.    Durability: The useful life of the product or service.

i.      Service after sale: Handling of complaints or requests for information.

 

 

THE CONSEQUENCES OF POOR QUALITY

 

It is important for management to recognize the different ways that the quality of firm’s products or services can affect the organization and to take these into account in developing and maintaining a quality assurance program. Some of the major ways that quality affects an organization are:

a.   Loss of business:

Poor design or defected product or services can result in loss of business. Failure to devote adequate attention to quality can damage a profit oriented organization’s image and lead to a decreased market share.

b.   Liability:

Organizations must pay special attention to the potential liability due to damage or injuries resulting from either faulty design or poor workmanship.

 

 

c.   Productivity:

Productivity and quality are often closely related. Poor quality can adversely affect productivity during the manufacturing process if parts are defective and have to be reworked. Conversely, improving and maintaining good quality can have a positive affect on productivity.

d.   Cost:

Poor quality increases certain cost incurred by the organization. Any serious attempt to deal with quality issues must take into account because the cost is associated with quality.

 

 

THE COSTS OF QUALITY (COQ)

        Cost of quality (COQ) analysis is a common in industry and constitutes one of the primary functions of quality control departments. Four major categories of costs are associated with quality management. They are:

a.   Prevention cost

b.   Appraisal cost

c.   Internal failure cost

d.   External failure cost

a.    Prevention cost:

Prevention costs are associated with preventing defects before they happen.

Example:

Quality improvement programs, training, monitoring, data collection and analysis and design cost.

b. Appraisal cost:

Appraisal costs incurred in assessing the level of quality attained by the operating system.

Example:

Inspection equipment, testing, labs, inspectors and the interruption of production to  take samples.

 

c.Internal failure cost:

Internal failure costs resulting from defects that are discovered during the production of a product or service.

Example:

Rework cost, problem solving, material and product losses, scrap and downtime.

c. External failure cost:

Costs that arise when a defect is discovered after the customer have received the product or services.

Example:

Returned goods, reworking cost, warranty cost, loss of goodwill, penalties.

 

 

FUNCTIONS/OBJECTIVES/NECESSITY OF QUALITY CONTROL

 

1.   Establishing standards or quality of products.

2.   Confirmation of providing quality products for maximum customer satisfaction.

3.   Maintaining the standards or quality.

4.   Highly standard product design corresponds to the customer’s expectations.

5.   Finding out defects in product and trying to eliminate the defects.

6.   Minimizing production cost and wastage.

7.   Minimizing customers’ complaints.

8.   Finding out reasons of deviation from standard and try to solve that.

9.   Evaluation and development of inspection system.

10.Making necessary adjustment in production process and maintaining dynamism in production activities.

 

 

 

Model Questions:

1.    What do you understand by Quality & Quality Control?

2.    Define Total Quality Management (TQM).

3.    What are the Dimensions of Quality?

4.    Discuss the Consequences of Poor Quality.

5.    What are the costs associated with Quality? Discuss.

6.    Describe the Functions/Necessity/Objectives of Quality Control.

 

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